


The Red Knight

by Cryzice



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jason Todd, Omega Verse, Protective Jason Todd, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 13:10:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20026372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cryzice/pseuds/Cryzice
Summary: Once upon a time, in a desert kingdom, there was a legendary knight known as the Red Knight, so called for distinctive red armor. Rumors claimed that he was not a real man, but a demon summoned by the king to turn the tides of war when his own mortal soldiers were not enough.Jason is the caretaker of the crown prince of the desert kingdom Nanda Parbat, Damian. One day, Damian is almost killed by his grandfather, the king, and Jason has to choose between his life in Nanda Parbat or keeping Damian safe from a person who has tried to kill him.





	The Red Knight

**Author's Note:**

> My first entry for omega Jason Todd week, Day One (Monday, 29th of July): Non-standard alpha/beta/omega dynamics in relationship or society | Harem | Assisting someone with heat or rut.
> 
> Also my first published fic, so please keep that in mind. Since the fic is too long and I want to write other works, I decided to publish the first half and hopefully come back with the second half later. 
> 
> There's no actual Jaydick in the first half, because they haven't met yet, but there will be in the second half, I swear.
> 
> Until then, please enjoy.

_Once upon a time, in a desert kingdom, there was a legendary knight known as the Red Knight, so called for distinctive red armor. Rumors claimed that he was not a real man, but a demon summoned by the king to turn the tides of war when his own mortal soldiers were not enough._

_ Rumors of his achievements spread wide and far among the kingdoms. One rumor claimed that the Red Knight killed over a hundred soldiers in one night alone; another that he single-handedly rescued over two hundred prisoners; a third that he was on the same level as Deathstroke, possibly the strongest mercenary for hire._

_ So infamous was the Red Knight that some soldiers defected just as soon as they saw his characteristic armor on the other side of the field and backstabbed their own compatriots in the hope that they would be spared. They weren't - the king would accept no traitors among his ranks._

_ Then one day, he was gone. The red armor was no longer seen on the battlefield. No rumors about his fighting prowess was ever heard of again. It was like he had never existed in the first place, and no one knew why. _

_Had the king decided that he was too famous and had him executed? Did he lose in battle? No one could tell, only that a legend had disappeared into history. _

* * *

At over six foot, with legs that go on for days, arm muscles larger and more developed than most Alphas and thigh muscles that would make any pregnant omega (and betas) a mix of jealous and resentful, Jason is very much not the imagined example of an omega.

On the contrary, he is, in many eyes, too alpha for an omega. He is too loud, too brash, too confident, too unwilling to take crap from anyone, alpha or beta or omega. Even alphas step aside when he walks through the street, watching him with careful eyes. Other omegas stare up at him with gratitude when he gets in between them and an aggressive alpha. Betas nod at him when he walks past.

Then they spot the five earrings in his ears that signify his status as an omega, and their reactions change in an instant. Alphas try to stare him down and make him submit. The other omegas turn away, and betas shake their heads.

It's the price he has to pay for being what he is and looking like he does, and pay he does, every single day.

But for all the disadvantages that comes with his appearance, there are also advantages. Such as when his young charge has snuck out of the palace without one of his guards before one of his lessons is about to start.

"Damian al Ghul, what do you think you are doing?" is enough to make Damian jump, which it shouldn't if Damian had been paying attention to his surroundings. Anyone could have just grabbed him and run off - not that it is very likely to happen, here in Nanda Parbat, where everyone knows who Damian is and the price for even attempting to kidnap him, but it is the principle that matters. Damian should know better. In fact, even at the age of eight, he does know better.

Jason has to hide a frown as Damian turns around, shame-faced.

"Ummi, "he says, with no inflection.

'Ummi' sighs and bends down. "What did he say this time? "Omegas are weak and should stay at home?" You do not normally just run off without a reason," Jason coaxes.

The boy stares down at the ground. "I do not know what you are talking about. Perhaps I simply wished to have some fresh air."

Jason tries really hard to stop himself from rolling his eyes - it is unsightly for an omega to roll their eyes, a hard voice hisses in the back of his mind-, but ultimately fails. "If you want fresh air, you "borrow" one of the horses and ride into the forest, not go into town. I know you, Damian, do not forget that. Now, what did he say?"

This time, Damian raises his head in defiance, but before he can say anything, he seems to just deflate. "He implied that no omega has ever been a warrior," he says sulkily."When I asked about the Warriors of the Band, he said that they are fairytales and nothing more."

Jason shakes his head tiredly. "He is your teacher, and you owe him your respect, no matter his ignorance. If he is a bad teacher, you say so, and your grandfather will arrange for a different teacher, but only if you have a good enough reason to claim so. Is he a bad teacher?"

"No, he is merely ignorant and ill-informed, "Damian says with reluctance.

"Then you learn from that and do not make his mistakes. If you really cannot stand him, then I will speak to your mother about arranging a different teacher, okay? But before that, you have to give him another chance. I do not want this to become something you do regularly."

Damian makes the kind of face he would never pull in front of his grandfather unless he wished for a punishment. "Very well, ummi, I will give him another chance, but only for you," he says.

It is not the reason Jason wants, but it will have to do for now. For now, he can breathe a sigh of relief, take Damian back home for a scolding and hope that Damian's punishment is not too severe.

* * *

When Jason hears the news that Damian has nearly died at the hands of his grandfather, Jason is in the kitchen making one of Damian's favorite pastries. A maid, no older than twenty, shaking like a leaf, interrupts him and asks him to go to the infirmary at Talia's orders.

"Did something happen?" he asks the maid with a frown, putting the dough back onto the table and passing it off to one of the kitchen staff.

The maid shakes her head, her face almost as white as the flour spread out on the table in front of them. Something has her shaken and scared. In Nanda Parbat, where assassinations are common, that is always something to pay attention to. "I do not know. Lady Talia only asked me to come get you and say that it is urgent."

Jason wants to stay and ask her more questions, but he has learnt that it is better to act first and ask later when it comes to the al Ghul family. Last time was bad enough.

However, before Jason can leave for the infirmary, one of the guards burst into the kitchen as is he is on fire. His face looks even whiter and paler than the maid's, if that is even possible. Jason can feel the dread in his stomach even before the guard opens his mouth.

What comes out is rushed and hurried like he is being chased by a sizeable group of enemies closing in on him. "The king has almost killed the young prince. The prince is in the infirmary with Lady Talia right now, but the healers do not know if he will make it."

Everyone freezes at once. One of the kitchen staff drops the dough Jason had just prepared onto the ground, but no one cares enough to reprimand her. All the food could burn up in front of their eyes, and no one would even notice.

Jason does not remember running out of the kitchen and all the way to the infirmary, but the next thing he knows, he is just outside the infirmary doors and one of the healers shows him inside.

Damian is lying on one of the beds with a long, bloody cut across his chest almost the entire way from his hip to the his shoulder. Three healers are trying to stop the blood flow, but what can a few bandages do against such a gigantic cut?

Talia is standing at the head of the bed, holding Damian down as well as she possibly can. Her mouth is set in a thin line, the only outwards sign that she is both displeased and worried. When she sees Jason, she beckons him over with a look.

Jason has one moment of hesitation, then steels himself and strides to Talia's side, taking over holding Damian down. Desperately, he tries to think of a prayer to say, any at all, but what use is a prayer in Nanda Parbat, where the only gods are the al Ghul family? In any other country, there would be a priest as well, giving prayers to the gods, but Nanda Parbat has not had a priest in all the years Jason has lived here and probably won't for as long as he lives.

Instead, there are only the healers and the closest family members in the infirmary. Ra's' absence is glaringly obvious, and Jason is secretly glad that he is somewhere else, even if it means that no one has any idea what he is doing at the moment.

If he had been, Jason would most likely have tried to fight him, and even at his advanced age, Ra's is not an opponent to take lightly. Ra's hasn't gotten to his age by being a fool.

Besides, Jason isn't sure that he even can fight Ra's. He swore a blood oath to serve Ra's when he was fourteen. He may no longer be allowed to go out and fight in Nanda Parbat's army, but he is still held to the oath, until he either dies or the al Ghul family perishes.

Jason opens his mouth to ask Talia what happened, but she gives him a look that he is well-versed in knowing means keeping his tongue silent for the moment.

It is hours before the healers seem to decide that Damian will live, although with a nasty scar once the cut is healed. One of the apprentice healers take over for Jason, and Jason and Talia are told that they can leave. Jason doesn't want to leave, but he is exhausted, his hands are dyed red with the blood of an eight-year-old he was supposed to protect, and Talia probably won't allow him to stay with Damian for the night if he asked.

With the highest degree of reluctance, Jason washes his hands as well as he can and follows Talia outside. Only now that he knows Damian will be fine, if scarred for life, can he let go of his control for a second.

When he speaks, his words are broken up by the sobs he so desperately tries to keep inside. "What happened? Who did this? And why, for God's sake?" he demands.

Talia turns away, a sure sign that she doesn't really want to answer."I do not know for certain," she says reluctantly. "One of the guards rushed in during one of my meetings and told me Damian was badly hurt and needed aid. I did not think anything of it until he led me into one of father's rooms. But I can think of no one else it can be. My father has never been afraid to punish those he thinks should be punished, blood or not."

There is a hard truth in what Talia is saying. Ra's has never shied away from physical punishment to those he perceives to have done wrong, whether that be failing to complete a mission or somehow disrespecting a foreign dignitary, but it has never been this bad.

Certainly, there had been rumors about what happened to Ra's' only son and his older daughter, Nyssa, but those were rumors. No alpha who wants to continue his blood line would kill their own kids, and Ra's is even more obsessed about blood than most alphas.

Admittedly, Jason has seen how Ra's has treated Talia, his only remaining child, and how ruthless he was when she made a mistake. Still, Talia is a grown woman, whereas Damian is an eight-year-old who hasn't even begun to present yet.

In the past, when Ra's has hurt Damian, Jason has always managed to keep his mouth shut. As much as Damian calls him "Ummi" and looks to him for the maternal support he should get from Talia, his real mother, Jason doesn't actually have any right to Damian. There are no biological or legal bonds between them, only what Ra's and Talia allows them to have. Jason doesn't actually have any influence to speak of.

But Damian almost _died_, at Ra's' hand. What happens next time? Will Ra's stop here, or will he go further?

In Jason's mind, there is only one thing left to do, and it is the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life.

"Damian cannot stay here," he says.

Suddenly, Talia looks much, much older than the age Jason thinks she must be. This is a woman who knows all the options and had to face that she has to send her only son, the son she loves even though her way of showing it may be the worst in all of history, away to keep him safe from her own father.

And Jason is just so tired. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, and yet it somehow did. Ra's has never hidden that he can be violent even to those closest to him. In fact, he has many times shown that he has no difficulty punishing even his own family, in public no less.

Already Jason is trying to come up with the beginnings of a plan. They can't stay in Nanda Parbat, and there are only three neighboring kingdoms bordering Nanda Parbat. Metropolis has an elected king, said to be very kind, but it is also the kingdom furthest away, at least a week on horseback. Star is a bit closer, but Jason has never been there and wouldn't know how to act to not stand out.

Gotham is the closest, Jason's birthplace, but Gotham is dark in a way that the other kingdoms aren't. The King, Bruce, and his two sons try to best to give the people hope, but it is always there, just binding its time. Jason hasn't been back to Gotham since he was taken to Nanda Parbat against his will when he was seven. That was fifteen years ago, and Gotham is still known for being a hell of a kingdom.

It might not even matter where he goes if he has no food, no horses, no water, no anything. One of the kitchen staff might be able to smuggle him some water skins, a bread loaf or two and a bit of meat if he explained what for, but that would put them in danger once Ra's realized that Damian was gone. Ra's wouldn't spare anyone if he thought they helped Jason.

But there's no other option. He will have to do with what he has and hope it is enough. If nothing else, he can probably survive on a bit less food for a day or two. He certainly has before, but that was when Jason was younger, more accustomed to the lower quality food they got in the camps, yet to grow.

"Take him to Gotham", Talia says, interrupting all of Jason's plans."He will be safe there. The king has an obligation to keep him safe."

Jason has to take a moment to think through what Talia implies. Everyone, no matter omega, beta or alpha, has an obligation to all and any child they sire. It is law in all kingdoms, Nanda Parbat, Star, Metropolis and Gotham, one of the basics their society is based on. The alpha parent provide protection; the omega comfort; and the beta both if both parents are betas.

He has asked Talia before about who Damian's alpha parent is, but Talia has always waved his inquiries away. Ra's probably wouldn't have answered even if he had asked, and everyone knows better than to ask Ra's al Ghul anything unless there is a good reason. You either do what he says, or you end up in one of the prison cells.

"How do I get there? I don't have a horse, much less food or water," Jason says. "And Damian needs time to heal. We can't just leave."

Talia gives a sharp nod, her eyes shining with determination. "Leave that do me. Just be ready to leave as soon as Damian has woken up. We don't have the time to let him heal, or my father will most likely demand to see him."

And finish him off for good, most likely. Jason barely suppresses a flinch at the thought.

"And you, Talia?" he can't stop himself from asking. "What will happen to you when Ra's find out you helped us escape?

They both know what will happen. There is no place for disobedience in Nanda Parbat, only blind obedience. If Talia helps them, she will die the moment Ra's finds out.

But there is no other way. Jason has made his choice. Talia has to make her.

* * *

Damian has barely woken up before they have to leave. He is still in a lot of pain and will be in more pain in the saddle, but he will live to see another sunset, and that thought is enough to keep Jason going.

Talia gave them enough food and water skins to last for more than the three days it takes to Gotham and the two fastest horses in Ra's' stables, one to ride on and one to carry. Jason would have liked to bring Shadow, the horse he rode during his time as a soldier in Nanda Parbat's army, but she is no longer the fast wind she once was and would only slow them down.

One of the stable hands pack the supplies while Jason readies the horses. Anziyan is Talia's own private horse, a beautiful black and brown stallion that has served in many battles. Taiga, a younger stallion in red, is the stable master's favorite, patient and quick to move.

At this time of year, autumn close to winter, the days are colder than in the summer, but Nanda Parbat is still a desert kingdom. Except for the main city and a few others located near to the precious rivers, there are very few settlements. Most people prefer staying in their villages to risking their lives out in the desert.

There are nomads, but they are few and far between, a result of Ra's' deliberate strategy of starvation from years past to force them to acknowledge him as their leader and follow his commands. Those not following Ra's do not like outsiders and would not hesitate to attack travelers they deem a threat to their survival.

The first day, Damian is barely conscious enough to do more than moan in pain and drink a few drops of water. The scar is wrapped in at least three layers of bandages to hopefully keep out any sand from entering, but as any native knows, it is futile to even hope that there won't be any that has somehow gotten inside anyway.

Even after fifteen years of living in Nanda Parbat, Jason has still not grown used to the desert heat. He is still accustomed to the gentler breeze that comes from the sea Gotham was built right next to. On the hottest days, he barely has the energy to even get out of bed in the morning, much less cook in the kitchens or clean. He is constantly in awe of the natives, who are capable of sparring for hours in the middle of the day when the sun is at its' peak.

The nights are, if possible, even worse. It is absolutely freezing, and there are no trees that might give them some protection from the winds. The only surviving plants in the desert are the cactuses, and they are just as prickly as the natives are. Their only use is the water they conserve within, but it is a highly protected commodity.

Jason huddles underneath their two blankets, Damian pressed as close as possible to preserve as much heat as possible, but they still shiver and shake the entire time. It's an experience Jason could do without, but for Damian, he will endure. If it means Damian will live long enough to get to nine, it will be worth it.

On the second day, Damian is awake enough to constantly scratch at the bandages and complain that there is sand everywhere. Jason almost has to tie his hands together to keep him from taking the bandages off. The only reason he doesn't is because he doesn't really have anything to tie with. They have some ropes for the horses, but it is too rough and it would feel like Damian is a prisoner, which is the opposite of what Jason wants him to feel like.

The second night is a repeat of the first, cold and uncomfortable, except Damian is present enough to complain that they have to cling to each other and then clings so hard to Jason it's like he's trying to meld them together.

On the third day, the desert gives way to the beginnings of vegetation. At first, there are small collections of green grass, followed by a single tree or two, followed by more grass, flowers and bushes. As the green grows, they leave behind the desert and it's yellow sand, replaced by the beginnings of the first of the many forests that make up Gotham.

In a way, Nanda Parbat and Gotham are direct opposites. It is most obvious in the vegetation: where Nanda Parbat is desert and sand, Gotham is lush forests and trees that grow taller than the highest sand dunes. Less obvious are the differences in the people: where the natives in Nanda Parbat are obedient to Ra's out of fear, Gotham natives love their king, even if they don't respect him enough to not steal or commit crimes.

Where Nanda Parbat has the Al Ghul family, Gotham has King Bruce and his sons. Ra's is considered a god in Nanda Parbat; King Bruce _is_ a god in Gotham. 

People in Nanda Parbat live good lives, but fear Ra's. Gotham natives fear starvation, but they hold their king in the highest esteem. If a Nanda Parbat native was offered a chance to either save or kill Ra's, they would kill him; if the same choice was given to a Gotham native, they would save King Bruce.

Fifteen years ago, Jason was taken down this path and into Nanda Parbat by some of Ra's' soldiers who thought he showed "potential" when he pickpocket one of them. It was pure rotten luck that Ra's saw the same "potential" and gave him to one of his knights to serve as a trainee. Skill and pure determination is what has kept him alive so far. Hopefully, it will keep him alive a bit longer.

* * *

The closer they get to King Bruce's palace, the more people they come across.

The merchants stand out in their colorful clothing, all eager smiles and cheerful tones to better entice potential customers. The normal people, farmers and more permanent city dwellers, prefer the cheaper standard clothing in grays and browns.

And then there are the thieves ducking in and out of the crowds in search of their next victim. Fifteen years, and Jason can still recognize a thief from an ordinary citizen.

Unlike Gotham, which is festered with thieves and other criminals, Nanda Parbat doesn't have many persons who dare to break the law unless there is an obvious gain to it and they can easily get away with it. Any thief has to be incredibly quick to get away in Nanda Parbat, or risk public execution at the hands of the fearsome guards, who are notorious for being just as cruel as their master and taking a great deal of pleasure from hurting people.

In Gotham, thieves and criminals are punished if they are caught, but most of them aren't caught or are let go after bribing the guards. Jason got caught half a dozen times, but almost always got away. The only time he didn't get away, he met Gordon, then a middle-level guard who has since then been promoted to a higher level, who offered him some bread and a cup of water before Jason slipped out when he was distracted.

Now, seeing the thieves showing off their catch to their friends, Jason feels a strange sense of almost nostalgia. Once, he was one of them, and he was good if he says so himself. He can still pickpocket and does once in a while, but only on people he is close to and who think it is funny. Ra's was not one of them. Damian found it quite annoying, but he didn't really mind. Talia found it mildly cute, but she always noticed and just let him.

Sadly, just because he was one, it doesn't mean that he can just let one of them pickpocket him and get away with it, so when one of the thieves move closer to him, Jason moves to stare directly at the thief, who promptly backs up and runs off.

"Coward," is Damian's only comment.

Normally, Jason would scold him, but in this case, he privately agrees.

The closer they get to the castle, the clearer the difference between this castle and Ra's' castle become clearer. Where Ra's' castle was meant to show off his wealth and difference from the ordinary people, King Bruce's castle is not too showy or extra.

Ra's' castle had more accessories and furniture than needed: vases in gold and silver; countless paintings of Ra's or the desert or a rare oasis; cutlery in expensive metals; the finest rugs a human hand can make. Only the finest is good enough for Ra's al Ghul, and sometimes even that isn't good enough.

King Bruce, on the other hand, seems to prefer practicality over extravagance. There is no obviously planted garden around the castle, forcefully grown in a country that isn't supposed to have those kind of flowers. If there is a garden, it can't be seen from the front, which is a point in King Bruce's favor in Jason's book.

On the other hand, similar to Ra's' castle, there are guards in front of the castle who stands at attention as he gets nearer to the castle. When he dismounts, one of them, probably the youngest of the lot based on the rather prominent pimples on his face, comes up to him with an uncertain, almost scared look on his face.

Jason doesn't give him an option to say anything. "I would like to request an audience with your king, "he says, with all the authority he learnt as one of Nanda Parbat's soldiers. "Tell him Talia al Ghul sent me."

The young guard obviously doesn't know what to do with that, but one of the older guards, standing just a few feet away, seems to recognize the name and comes forward. He at least looks old enough to be a member of the guard.

"Right this way, sir," the older guard says. "Do you need assistance or aid?"

Jason glances back at Damian, who remains in the saddle.

Damian hasn't complained vocally since the second day, but it is obvious that he is in pain and is just too proud to say anything. In Nanda Parbat, admitting pain is a sign of weakness, something that has to be trained out of you. If you are badly hurt enough to have to go to infirmary, you do it quietly and without complaint. Damian stopped complaining of any pain when he was six years old, much too early for a child to learn something like that.

On the other hand, Jason doesn't want to let Damian out of his sights just yet unless he has to. Also, he might need to actually show Damian to the king to prove that Damian is his son.

Can he justify prolonging Damian's pain for the time it would take for them to gain an audience with the king? It could easily take hours before the king has time to meet with them, and Damian probably has sand in the bandages.

"My ward needs to have his bandages changed, but nothing more, if that is not too much trouble," Jason answers at last, reluctantly.

The older guard looks at Damian's paler than normal face, the bloodied bandages wrapped around Damian's too small body, and nods. "Of course."

They are escorted to Gotham's version of a infirmary, where a kind, young healer with blond hair and a cherry attitude who changes Damian's bandages and gives him some kind of herb to lessen the pain. When she sees the scar, she glances quickly at Jason, but ultimately chooses to not comment.

With that, they are escorted to a room with a large table, a bunch of chairs hazardously put all around, and surrounded by bookshelves with what looks like over a hundred different books. The king isn't there, but an old man provides them with some slices of bread and some water.

Jason itches to put his hand on one of the books and see what it is about, but it would not be proper for him, a guest and stranger, to do something so brazen in the king's own private rooms. Ra's would have personally executed anyone who had the guts to do something like that.

Lacking anything else to do while they wait, they sit stiffly in their chairs and speak very little. Even the old man seems to sense the tension and remains silent.

Eventually, after what could have been an hour, but felt a lot longer, there are footsteps on the other side of the door, and the door opens.


End file.
